PEORIA, Ill. – Coming off the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Bradley Women's Basketball added some experience to an already solid cast of returning letterwinners for the 2021-22 season with Head Coach Andrea Gorski announcing Thursday that Daija Powell (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek H.S./Texas Tech) and Sierra Morrow (Minneapolis, Minn./Edison H.S./Seward County C.C.) will join the Braves next season.
"We are excited to add two quality student-athletes to our rising program that are both college tested and eager for championships," said Gorski. "Daija will provide a strong presence on both ends of the floor and is hungry to win and contribute right away. Sierra will provide versatility as she can pour in points both inside and out and has guard skills in a 6-2 frame."
A 6-2 forward, Powell transfers to Bradley after her freshman year at Texas Tech, where she appeared in 19 games and shot 63 percent from the field in six minutes per contest. Powell was named Region Player of the Year and County Defensive Player of the Year as a junior at Sandy Creek High School in addition to taking home class 4A all-state honors.
Ranked the No. 13 power forward in the 2019-20 high school senior class by ESPN, Powell averaged 16.8 points, 10 rebounds and two steals per game as a junior. She helped Sandy Creek to three straight regional titles, along with a state semifinal appearance as a freshman and state quarterfinal showing her junior year.
Morrow is a 6-2 forward that spent the 2020-21 season at Seward County Community College. She averaged 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game this past year, scoring a season-high 41 points on March 19 against Cloud County. Morrow, who was named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Player of the Year, helped the Saints to a 17-6 overall record with her team advancing to the NJCAA Region VI Quarterfinals.
Morrow earned second-team all-american honors at North Iowa Area Community College as a freshman in addition to taking home conference defensive player of the year honors, averaging 15.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and nearly five blocks per game for a team that went 32-1 and claimed the NJCAA Region XI title before the abrupt end to the 2019-20 season.
Bradley made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21 after claiming the first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title in program history. The Braves have won a school-record 72 games over the last four seasons and Bradley has won 10 or more MVC games in three consecutive seasons for the first time.
